Montague resident named clinician of the year

MONTAGUE — Kathleen McGraw — a Montague resident and former medical director at Baystate Franklin Medical Center — has been named as the Franklin District Medical Society’s 2013 Community Clinician of the Year.

After an eight-year stint at BFMC, McGraw took over in January as chief medical officer at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital in Brattleboro, Vt.

The Massachusetts Medical Society announced Monday that the award is given to one physician from each of 20 district medical societies throughout the state who, “has made significant contributions to his or her patients and the community and who stands out as a leading advocate and caregiver.”

McGraw was nominated and selected by her peer physicians in the local medical society and will receive the award at the society’s annual meeting, on April 25 at Hotel Northampton.

During her time at BFMC, McGraw was instrumental in building up its hospital medicine program, said Dr. Stephen Fox, president of the Franklin District Medical Society and a physician of Baystate Medical Practices’ Greenfield Surgery.

Hospitalists are doctors who specialize in the monitoring and tracking the progress of patients while they’re in the hospital.

“Kathleen developed that whole program (here),” said Fox. “She’s an excellent hospitalist.”

“This is a wonderful honor, and we are pleased to see Dr. McGraw recognized for her contributions to the health of people in Franklin County,” said Gerda Maissel, chief medical officer at BFMC. “Although she has recently taken a promotion in Brattleboro, we are glad that she continues working with us as a hospitalist on a per diem basis.”

McGraw — who could not be reached for this story — co-founded the Community Health Center in Turners Falls and served as the founding president of the Board, according to the Massachusetts Medical Society.

After graduating from the University of Minnesota, McGraw earned a master’s in science at University of Massachusetts-Amherst and received her medical degree from the University of Massachusetts Medical School, according to the Massachusetts Medical Society.

She completed her internship and residency at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield.

She earned the designation Fellow in Hospital Medicine from the Society of Hospital Medicine in 2010.

A member of the Massachusetts Medical Society since 1997, she is a member of its House of Delegates and serves on the Committee on Nominations.